One Day
by Angel in the Morning
Summary: After years of longing after each other, best friends Morgan and Garcia finally take a chance.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing, sadly.

Penelope Garcia couldn't stare at the screen one more second or she feared her brain would explode. She took her pink 50's style glasses off and rubbed her eyes with a groan. Earlier that day, she had helped the team catch an UnSub in Minnesota and she was swamped with paperwork from that case and the previous two. The BAU was in such high demand these days that she barely had time to finish paperwork on one case before the team was asking for her help in another. For the past couple weeks, she had been about two or three cases behind at any given time.

It wasn't the increase in paperwork that really bothered her about the increase in cases. It was the amount of time the team spent away. One team member in particular, she thought with a smirk. She hadn't seen Morgan in over a week because of this case. She missed his special smile that he saved only for her, the smell of his cologne, the way his abs felt when she 'accidentally' brushed against them. She sighed unhappily; she was in love with her best friend and there was no way it was ever going to happen for them. She was frumpy and clumsy and not anywhere near his type. He was chiseled and gorgeous. A Greek god. A sexy chocolate Greek god, she mused to herself.

The high pitched ringing of her cell phone drew her out of her day dream. A quick glance at her caller ID brought a smile to her face, "Hello my chocolate god."

"Hey momma," Morgan's familiar voice called through her phone sending shivers down her spine. She absolutely adored when he called her pet names.

Penelope smiled and slowly began to swivel in her chair, "How can I serve you, my love?"

A deep chuckle rewarded her. "Mmm, I can think of quite a few ways," Morgan flirted, bringing a laugh from Penelope. "Listen, baby girl, I need a favor."

Figuring he was going to ask her to look something, or someone, up for him, she swiveled back to her computer. "Sure thing. What do you need?"

"You still got that spare set of keys I gave you, right?"

She frowned, "Oh course." Morgan had given her the keys after she had been shot. He had told her that they were for if she ever needed somewhere to feel safe, she remembered fondly.

"I'm gunna need you to bring them over to my place. I, uh, kinda lost mine."

She had to hold back a laugh, "No problem, I will be there in a jiff."

"Thanks and sorry for calling so late."

So late? Penelope glanced at her watch and gasped, "10:20? Already? Oh god, I need a life."

"Goddess, don't tell me you're still at work." The scold came through the phone clearly enough. Morgan was always on her about working herself too hard. She thought maybe he could take a little piece of his own advice but she kept her mouth shut.

"Work? Me?" She sighed knowing that he would obviously know she was lying. She could never keep anything from him, except of course her true feelings for him.

"Just get your sexy ass down here," Morgan said.

Penelope smiled, "Your wish is my command, my love." She hung up and smiled to herself. She was almost giddy at the thought that she was going to see Morgan, if only for a few minutes. She quickly shut off her systems and practically ran out the door.

It only took her twenty minutes to get to Morgan's house. She found him sitting on the steps in front of his house and he looked as delicious as ever. As soon as she got out of her car, she could see that his muscles bulged tantalizingly through his shirt as usual. The closer she got, she became more aware of the fact that he looked like he hadn't slept or shaved in days. Her heart went out to him. She knew how hard he had taken this last case. A couple of kids had died and she knew from his voice when he had called her from Minnesota that it had hit home.

"My savior," he said with a smile as she reached him. It was her special smile and she knew it. He pulled her into a hug and Penelope breathed deeply, taking in his smell; a melt-in-your-mouth combination of spicy man, a little bit of sweat, and the earthly cologne he was wearing. Just smelling him made the stress of the past few weeks dissolve. She pulled back reluctantly; unaware Morgan was doing the same thing and feeling the same way.

As she pulled back she noticed his eyes had darkened. A part of her wanted to believe from the same lust that she was feeling but she knew it was just from exhaustion. Penelope mentally shook herself and smiled cheerfully as she handed him the set of keys she had dug out of her purse. "Don't go and lose these ones," she chided playfully.

Morgan took them with a smile. "I can't believe you were still working when I called," he said as he unlocked the door.

Penelope shrugged, "It's not like I have anything special to come home to."

Morgan frowned as he leaned against his door, "You need a man who makes you want to come home every night."

A picture of Morgan in her bed every night ran through her mind and Penelope's heart ached for what could never be. A sly smile crossed her face, "Are you offering, sugar?" It was an honest question just as much as it was playful flirtation.

"Anytime," he said huskily. For a moment Penelope thought he was serious. There was something in his eyes and in his voice that seemed different tonight. Maybe, she thought, just maybe today was the day it was all going to change. She felt butterflies in her stomach and opened her mouth to respond when Morgan spoke again, "Hey, you hungry? I know you didn't eat anything good stuck at work."

She sighed inwardly knowing that he had taken her question as typical flirting. She was a fool think even for a moment that she would be able to find someone as perfect as Morgan to want frumpy ole her.

She shook her head and smiled brightly, "No, I'm gunna head home for the night." Usually she would take him up on his offer but she felt like a fool for getting her hopes up so easily. How long have you been doing this, she scolded herself; you know better. Morgan could so easily crush her heart and she didn't want to deal with that tonight.

Morgan noticed her change in attitude but didn't say anything. Instead he bent down and kissed her cheek, "Alright. Text me when you get home."

Penelope smiled, "As always." With one last smile, she turned and walked back to her car, fighting the urge to run away. She sighed as she realized the real reason she had been working so late. If she got home late enough, perhaps she would be tired enough to fall asleep without crying over Morgan. One day, she vowed, she was going to tell him the truth about her feelings.

Morgan frowned as he saw Garcia drive away. The entire flight home all he could think about was how Penelope would be perfect to help him forget the cold, lingering chill of a Minnesota winter. How he would wrap his arms around her and finally take that kiss on the lips he had been thinking about for seven years. How he would pull her on top of him and he would feel those sexy thighs wrap tight around him. How he would leave a trail of kisses all down her perfect breasts. And how he would squeeze that ass of hers.

He sighed and shook his head as he walked into his house. He flicked on the lights and he glanced around. It was the same as he had left it; clean, dull, and lifeless. Nothing like Penelope's apartment. Her place was filled to the brim with knick-knacks that screamed Penelope Garcia. A house just wasn't a home without a woman's touch, he thought. His woman's touch.

He had wanted to tell her tonight how he felt. That he couldn't live a day longer without her knowing she was his everything. That each night he fell asleep and each morning he woke up without her beside him drove him insane. But he hadn't. As usual.

There was a moment when he thought she had been serious; that maybe she had feelings for him. When she'd asked him if he was offering to be the man she needed, every part of his body had screamed that yes, yes he was offering to be her man but he froze. There was no way that someone as amazing as her could ever want to be with someone like him. She was perfect, a goddess, and he was not even worth her smile.

He frowned as he pulled his own set of keys from his pocket. Maybe one day he would finally have the courage to tell her how he felt. Definitely not today, but maybe someday.

**A/N: So? What do you think? I haven't decided if I want this to be a short little ficlet or if I want to make it longer. Your reviews will help me decide!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: You all convinced me to continue this story, so yay for you. **

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing, sadly.**

Penelope absolutely loved Friday afternoons. There was no better time of the week as far as she was concerned. The weekend lay open in front of her just waiting to be filled at her whim. And as she had recently returned to the single scene after breaking it off with Kevin Lynch, this weekend she could…well….do whatever she wanted. If only the weekend would come faster.

She glanced at her watch for the millionth time in the last hour. She had vowed to be out of the office by six today after realizing just how lame it was to still be at work after ten o'clock at night. Her watch was taunting her by claiming it was only four thirty. It felt like it had been four twenty nine when she checked ten minutes ago. She glanced at the clock on her computer in the hopes that her watch had stopped but unfortunately, it too claimed it was only four thirty.

Maybe coffee would make time go faster, she thought with a smile. She reached for her latest and greatest coffee mug painted to look like an adorable little piglet and headed to the break room.

Once there, she discovered to her great dismay that the last person had finished the coffee and hadn't bothered to brew another pot. "What type of barbarian…" she grumbled to herself. As she busied herself with making a new pot, she was startled by the break room door opening.

"Oh, hey Garcia," Reid said with a quick wave and smile.

She turned and glared at him, "Would you say that it was common courtesy for the person who drinks the last cup of coffee to brew a new pot?"

He nodded, "Yes." He noticed what she was doing, "Oh, I see. I believe Morgan was the last one I saw with fresh coffee."

Penelope pursed her lips, "Of course he was." Morgan may be the sexiest man she had ever met but there were some things he was clueless about. Like her seven year crush on him, she thought sullenly.

Reid, sensing there was more going on than just coffee, changed the subject. "While you're here, a few of us were going to go out for drinks tonight. Would you like to come?"

She answered without hesitation, "Sure." That's what single women did, right, she thought. They go out with friends and find them a sexy man to get their minds off Morgan…err…their ex-boyfriends. She glanced at Reid and saw that he was staring at her curiously. Probably profiling her, she thought. Damn profilers. She flashed him a smile, "Who is a few of us exactly?"

"Hotch, Emily, Morgan, Rossi maybe."

She smiled, "So, basically everyone."

Reid frowned, "Well, no. It would be physically impossible to gather everyone in one place at one time. There are over a 6.9 billion people in the world."

Penelope shook her head with a smile, "Right, silly me." She ran her finger about the rim of her cup and cocked her head, "So, Morgan was the last one with coffee?" She wondered if he was at his desk. Anyone who left an empty coffee pot lying around deserved a good scolding.

He nodded, "I believe so."

"Ok, thank you, darling." She started to head for the door but was stopped when Reid called her name. She turned towards him, "Yes?"

Reid pointed to the coffee maker, "It's done."

She glanced down and saw her cup was empty. A blush spread across her face, "Oh, of course. Thanks." She hurried over to fill her cup and quickly left the room leaving a puzzled Reid in her wake.

An hour and a half later, Penelope was gathering her things together, eager to get out the door and out to her car. A knock on her door brought a groan. "Whatever you want, I'm not doing it. I am going home. Techs deserve weekends too!" she called out.

She heard the door open and whipped around to wreak havoc on whoever dared enter her lair without permission. She frowned at who it was but kept her fury in check, "I know you were raised better than that, Derek Morgan."

Morgan raised his eyebrows in surprise, "You haven't ever made me knock and wait before, princess." He gave her one of his patented smiles and she had to resist the urge to melt.

Penelope shook her head, "No, I'm not talking about that, of course." She turned to grab her coat and slip it on.

"What are you talking about then?" He leaned casually against the doorframe and crossed his arms in front of him.

Penelope noticed how that particular stance emphasized his perfect biceps. "The coffee," she said quickly. "What type of person just leaves an empty coffee pot?" Morgan chuckled. "Empty coffee pots are nothing to joke about, my turtle dove," she scolded.

He smiled, "I'm sorry, princess. I vow I will never leave a coffee pot empty ever again."

"Yea, uh huh, sure." She smirked at him and took a moment revel in just how gorgeous he was. She wondered momentarily if she had the courage to just walk up to him and kiss him. She noticed he was staring at her and if she didn't know better, she would have sworn his eyes were wandering all over her body and they didn't seem disappointed. She knew that couldn't be true and began to wonder if she had spilled coffee on herself.

Derek cleared his throat and spoke, "So, we were all going to get together tonight for some drinks? I was thinking you could be my date, gorgeous. We could make everyone in the place jealous."

Penelope laughed nervously at the mention of dates. He gave her a look of curiosity and she smiled innocently. "Reid already told me."

"So you're going?" She nodded. "Want me to pick you up at eight?"

She laughed and shook her head vigorously, "I don't think so."

Derek stood up and walked over to her. "Come on, baby girl, I always drive you," he cajoled.

"Yea, remember what happened last time? I was too drunk to drive and you ended up going home with Betty Lou or Betty Boop, whatever her name was." She poked him with her finger accusingly, "I had to get a ride home from Reid. Who gave me a lecture on the social place of drinking in indigenous cultures around the world. Which was very interesting but highly annoying."

Morgan had the good graces to look ashamed. "Not one of my prouder moments. Can I apologize again for that?"

"Yes, yes you may."

He wrapped his arms around her. "Goddess, I apologize for leaving you to go home with…"

"That strumpet," she interrupted.

Morgan smiled, "With that strumpet and leaving you with Reid." He pulled her into a hug. "I promise that I will not leave your side tonight."

Penelope smiled. She could never stay mad at him for long. Especially when he smelled so damn good. "In that case, pick me up at eight."

Derek was early, as in a half an hour early. He was hoping for a few minutes alone with Penelope before they left to join the group. He wanted to apologize again for the last time the group had gone out. She had been with Lynch and they had been all over each other all night. The only way he could contain his jealousy was to focus all his attention on some random girl. He was actually pretty pissed that Lynch hadn't given Penelope a ride home like he thought he would have.

He had a key so he let himself into Penelope's apartment. "Baby girl," he called out, "I let myself in."

"In the shower," she called back.

At the thought of her in the naked and wet in the shower, Morgan let out an audible groan. Thinking of the water dripping down her body as she ran her hands over herself, he had to fight the urge to go into the bathroom and rip open the shower curtain. He imagined her hands running through her wet hair and water dripping down her breasts, over her soft stomach, and down to the hair right above…. Morgan tore his thoughts away from the bathroom and rubbed his face. It didn't help him at all to entertain those fantasies when he knew he could never make them come true. In an attempt to curb his thoughts he took a seat on the couch and turned on the TV.

"What time is it?" he heard Penelope call. "Am I running behind?"

"No, baby girl, I'm early." He stopped flipping through the channels when he found a violent war movie, hoping to take his mind off of the naked women only a room away.

Her laugh floated to him from the bathroom. God, he loved that laugh. "Trying to sneak a peak at the goods, hot stuff?"

"You have no idea, baby girl," he said to himself. He heard the shower stop running and wondered momentarily what she would do if he just walked in the bathroom and kissed her. Probably slap him and never speak to him again. With that thought lingering in his mind, he resigned himself to watching TV while the woman of his dreams stood naked in the same apartment as him.

After ten minutes of exploding vehicles and bloody body parts, Derek was ready to leave. As if on cue, Penelope called out to him, "It'll only be a little longer. I just have to finish putting on my face."

He rolled his eyes as he stood and began to walk around her apartment. "Momma, you look sexy enough without all that make-up."

She laughed, "You're just bored and eager to leave, my chocolate stud muffin. Besides how will I ensnare a sexy man tonight without my makeup?"

She was looking for a man? Jealousy reared its ugly head at the thought of another man with his woman. "Any man who doesn't think you look like the goddess you are without makeup doesn't deserve to even look at you," he said sadly.

Silence was his response. Curious, he walked to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Baby girl, you almost ready?"

"You can come in, I'm decent."

Derek pushed open the door and his jaw dropped.

Penelope stood smiling at him. "How do I look?" she asked.

It took him a moment to regain his speech abilities and when he did, he let out a low whistle. "Baby girl, I can't let you go out like that."

Her face fell and she looked completely crushed. "What?"

He shook his head, "No, baby, if you go out like that, there's no way I'm gunna keep all the creeps away from you. You look fine as hell, momma." She did. She was wearing a red strapless curve hugging dress and, man, did it hug all of the right curves. It was all Derek could do not to run his hands over her body and take her on the bathroom floor. He took a deep breathe in an attempt to control himself.

Penelope laughed, "Aw, you are so sweet, my love." She held up a black sweater and waved it at him, "I'm covering up the girls."

Morgan breathed a sigh of relief, "I guess that'll help." At least it would hide that sexy body from all the pervs that were bound to be out. It wouldn't hide the image from him, though, seeing as it was permanently burned into his mind.

She laughed again and pushed him out of the bathroom. "You worry too much. Let's go," she said as she threw on the sweater and grabbed her coat.

Derek shook his head as he followed her. He knew by the way her ass looked even covered in her coat that he was going to end up jerking off to thoughts of her as soon as he got home that night. Yet again.

**A/N: Review, review, review. If you are sweet in your reviews I may have a tasty surprise for you in the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thank you so much for all the reviews! I really do appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. :.(

The night was going exactly how Derek had known it was going to the minute he saw what Penelope was wearing. She was getting hit on by scrawny punks and he couldn't cock-block fast enough. Right now she was dancing with some schmuck who looked like he just turned 21. He had come over with some pathetic pick up line and ten minutes later, he had Penelope on the dance floor. He had his hands on her swaying hips and it took every ounce of control to keep from running over and punching the kid in the face. Derek downed his drink and turned away from the dance floor in disgust.

Reid and Prentiss were both looking at him with identical expressions. "What?" he asked irritably. He wished Rossi and Hotch hadn't left so early. At least then he would have someone to distract him from the kid's antics.

Prentiss shrugged and shook her head, not wanting to get involved in whatever was going on between Morgan and Garcia. Reid cleared his throat, "Um, aren't you supposed to be Garcia's ride tonight?"

Morgan's eyes narrowed. Was he insinuating that Penelope was going to go home with another guy? His Penelope? "What about it?" he growled.

Reid sent an alarmed glance at Prentiss who refused to pay attention to them and was instead looking through her cell phone. Reid looked back at Morgan, realizing Emily was going to be no help to him. "I was just thinking, that maybe, you should slow down. That was your fifth and they're pretty strong." He paused and frowned, "Garcia doesn't seem to enjoy me driving her home. She was really grumpy last time. I'm not sure why, though. We had a great conversation."

Morgan chuckled at Reid's confusion, "Yea, I heard about that."

"I don't think it had anything to do with you, Reid," Prentiss said as she gave a pointed glare at Derek.

He suppressed a snarky comment and turned back to watch Penelope. She looked so damn sexy the way she was dancing. He could just imagine how good those hips would feel against him. She was dancing so close to the kid that….Morgan took a deep breath and turned away. He couldn't take it anymore, watching some punk kid grinding against his woman. He stood and walked to the dance floor.

He walked to Penelope, ignoring the sexual stares from several of the women he passed on the way. When Penelope saw him, she flashed him a smile that made him squirm with happiness. At least the punk kid wasn't getting that smile. "Hey, hot stuff," she said as she continued to dance.

"It's my turn to dance with the most gorgeous woman here," he said as he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her close. He glanced at the kid and gave him a look which told him exactly what he would do to him if he didn't leave in the next ten seconds. The kid was gone before Penelope could turn around.

Penelope saw and turned back to Derek. "Hey," she said. "You scared him off."

Derek shrugged as he started dancing. "He wasn't good enough for you," he said truthfully.

"You don't think anyone is good enough for me," she said with a smirk.

"It's the truth, baby girl." He turned her around so her back was to him and he could easily lean down and whisper in her ear, "No one in the world is good enough for you, Penelope."

She turned and smiled at him. "You always know what to say." She leaned up and kissed him on his cheek. Morgan knew that just a slight turn of his head would have landed that kiss on his lips. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

Derek was definitely appreciating the sway of Penelope's hips as she danced close to him. He ass would occasionally rub against him and it sent waves of pleasure spiraling up his spine and back down. They had danced together before but never like this. There was something heated about the way they kept brushing against each other, at least for Derek. It wasn't long before he became aware that a problem would arise soon, quite literally. As much as he was enjoying the torturous pleasure of rubbing against the woman of his dreams, he knew she wouldn't appreciate his manhood poking her in the back. He leaned down and whispered, "Why don't we sit down for awhile? Reid is probably driving Emily crazy." When he pulled back he brushed his lips against the skin behind her ear, unable to resist her milky white skin.

Penelope didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she didn't seem to care. She turned and smiled at him, "We wouldn't want him to do that now, would we?"

He smiled back and took her hand, "Probably not." As he led her back to their table he felt a sense of pride that he had the most attractive woman in the room by his side.

Penelope had had an amazing night; dancing with young men and the constant attention of Derek. If she didn't know better, she would have thought he had been jealous by the attention she had been getting. Especially when he shooed Jerry away. She had been sure that she had seen a flash of jealousy in his eyes, but…that was impossible. There was no way Morgan could feel that way about her. He was probably just being his usual overprotective self.

Riding back to her place was leaving her a lot of time to think since Derek wasn't saying much. Her mind kept drifting back to when they were dancing. Several shots of vodka running through her veins had given her the courage to brush against him several times while dancing. Much to her chagrin, it hadn't seemed to faze Morgan in the least.

And there was that moment when she had felt his lips brush against that sensitive spot behind her ear. Any man as skilled as Morgan would know exactly how sensitive that area was, but there was no way he could have done that on purposed, Penelope reasoned. Not to her. At least she didn't think so.

She didn't particularly want to think anymore. "How's your mom?" she asked in the hopes of starting a conversation.

He glanced over at her and smiled. "Good. The last time I spoke with her she told me she was waiting on me to give her grandbabies, as usual."

Penelope laughed. From what she knew of Mrs. Morgan, that sounded exactly like something she would say. "All moms want grandbabies," she paused. "You want any kids?" she asked curiously.

He nodded without taking his eyes off the road, "Yea. I just need to get the right woman." Penelope noticed his grip on the wheel had tightened and it didn't take a profiler to know he was uncomfortable. Curious, she thought.

"Don't worry, Derek," she said softly. "You will find her."

He glanced at her again but this time there was something unreadable about his face. "I think I may have found her actually."

Penelope felt her heart sink. "Oh? I haven't heard you talk about anyone." They pulled up to her apartment building and Penelope felt like crying. It was one thing to see him date other women but the thought of him starting a family with someone…that hurt just to think about.

"Here, let me get the door." He ran over and opened her door, offering her a hand to help her out of the car, always the gentleman.

She took it with a smile. Be happy for him, she told herself. They walked up the door of her apartment building without speaking. She turned to him and said, "Thanks for giving me a ride."

"Anytime, baby girl. Want me to walk you to your apartment?"

Penelope shook her head, "No, its fine." It came out harsher than she intended and Morgan picked up on it right away.

Morgan frowned, "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head, "No. I'm just tired." She smiled brightly, hoping he would take her word at face value.

But Derek Morgan was a profiler and there was no one he knew better than her.

He pulled her close and looked her in the eyes. Penelope reveled in just how deep and soulful his eyes were. She could tell he was sincerely concerned for her but how could she tell her best friend that the thought of him having children with another woman chilled her to her core. "Are you sure? You can tell me anything, momma."

He was so close and looking at her so intently; Penelope was having a hard time breathing normally. Tears sprang to her eyes at the thought that he had finally found the girl he was meant to be with. "I'm fine, Derek," she lied. Stupid vodka, she thought, you wouldn't be acting so pathetic if it wasn't for that damn vodka.

He shook his head, "Don't lie to me, Penelope. I know you better than anyone else." When she didn't respond he sighed. "Listen. You mean more to me than any other person on this earth. If something is bothering you, it breaks my heart. Why can't you talk to me?"

She shook her head, "I'm just feeling bad about myself. You know, the usual." It was a red herring and she hoped he would go with it.

Morgan took her face in his hands and pulled her face close. His thumbs caressed her face as he spoke, "Baby girl, you listen to me and you listen good. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. You are a fine, sexy ass goddess and I mean that. Not only that, but you are funny, and sweet, and you have a huge heart. You are one of the few people I care about and you deserve that privilege. Understand?"

She nodded silently, touched by his words. Derek smiled at her, "Good." He stared at her for a moment and there was something raw in his expression. Suddenly, he leaned down and crushed his lips to hers. Penelope's breathe caught in her throat as she felt his tongue flick against her bottom lip, testing her response. She opened her mouth to him and melted into his arms. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening. She felt Derek smile against her lips as his he ran his hands through her hair, causing it to tumble from the bun she had tied it in earlier.

After an entirely too short moment, Derek pulled away, his breath ragged. Penelope quickly searched his face for any sign of regret, terrified that he would say it was a mistake. To her surprise, all she could see with the giant smile plastered on his face. He ran his thumb down her face. "I'll call you in the morning, baby girl." With that he turned and walked back to his car leaving a stunned and confused Penelope in his wake.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry about how long it's taken me to update. My internet has been on the fritz for awhile and it finally died :( The next chapter is mostly written, just a few more tweeks. It should be up by late tonight.**

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

There was nothing like an early morning workout to start your day and eliminate any ill effects of drinking, like the gut rot Derek woke up to. An hour at the gym and an hour jog left Derek feeling refreshed and rejuvenated; all remnants of his hangover were gone.

He loved working out. It helped with the stress and anxiety which was an inevitable with his job. As he stripped out of his sweats, he got a whiff of himself. As much as he loved to work out, he most definitely did not love the BO he emanated afterwards.

As he got out of his shower, his mind drifted to the night before. He hadn't planned on kissing her but after seeing her in that dress and dancing with other guys, something broke. He certainly didn't regret kissing her. He could still feel traces of the fire that ran through his veins during that kiss.

There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted Penelope. And after her reaction to his kiss, he was pretty sure she wanted him too. What if it was a purely physical reaction on her side, the devil in his mind asked. Derek knew he had to show her that it wasn't just physical for him.

What if she just wanted something purely physical, the devil asked again. Derek knew that as much as he would love having sex with Penelope, after years of loving her, just physical was not going to cut it. He had to prove to her that he was the man for her. A plan quickly began to form in his mind.

Something was ringing. Penelope opened one eye with a groan. She had been having the most amazing dream about Derek kissing her. Her fuzzy lime green clock blinked 9:30 at her. She sat up and rubbed her eyes in confusion. It was Saturday, her alarm couldn't be going off so what on earth was that ringing?

It suddenly clicked with her that the ringing was her cell phone. She knew instantly that it was Derek's ringtone. "Oh, God," she mumbled as the night before came to her. It wasn't a dream; he had kissed her. And said he was going to call her.

She scrambled to grab her cell phone before it went to voicemail. She flipped it open and cleared her throat, "Hey." She rubbed her eyes and pinched her cheeks. Wake up, she scolded herself.

"Good morning, baby girl." His voice was so silky and smooth through the phone. It wasn't fair. She probably sounded like a croaking frog. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

Admit she was just waking up? To the fitness god who had probably risen with the damn sun? "No, no, no," she lied. "I've been up…" There was silence and she knew he knew. Of course he knew. "Fine, I just woke up. But I would have been up earlier if someone hadn't kept me at the bar until closing." Not that she was really complaining. It had been an amazing night.

He chuckled, "Listen, you got any plans tonight?"

"Nope, I am all free," she said quickly. She ran her schedule through her mind, trying to remember if she actually did have anything planned. Her brain was still fuzzy with sleep and she couldn't remember anything. Hopefully she wasn't forgetting anything. If it was that easily forgettable, she could definitely skip it for Derek, she told herself.

"Wanna get dinner? I was thinking we could go to that Italian place you always want to go to."

Penelope frowned, "Sure, but isn't that majorly fancy? As in it's our ten year anniversary fancy?" Even one of her tech friends with a rich lawyer husband said that that place was fancy. And they owned a multi-million dollar mansion.

"I was thinking it was more first date fancy."

Penelope's mouth dropped. Was he asking her out on a date? Like a dress up and feel giddy all night date? Like beginning of a relationship date? With Derek?

"Baby girl?" he sounded worried. "I mean we don't have to. I just thought after last night-"

"I would love to," she interrupted. How could he even doubt that she wanted to go on a date with him? She practically drooled every time he walking into the room. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. Act cool, P, she told herself. No need to appear over eager. "I mean, it sounds fun."

"Good. How about I pick you up at seven?"

Seven? That was what? Nine and a half hours from now? She could do that. She mentally ran through a list of things she would have to do before seven. A quick glance in the mirror told her that a shower was the very first thing on that list. She suddenly became aware that he was waiting for her answer. "It sounds perfect," she said softly.

"I will see you then, momma."

"Oh, and Derek? Just so you know, I expect candy or flowers for a first date," she teased.

"Anything for you, Penelope."

She closed her phone and sighed happily. For the first time in years, she was actually going to be on a date with Derek, rather than wishing the guy in front of her was him. She couldn't wait.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry, I know I promised this earlier but the internet is still fritzy. It should be fixed and I will be posting regularly. Thanks for all the reviews! You all make me happy!**

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

One final look in the mirror convinced Penelope that she looked good. She had found a nice black dress that she had forgotten she owned in the very back of her closet. She had never worn the dress, probably because she never really had anywhere to wear it. It wasn't as tight as the red dress she had worn the night before but it still hugged her hips and made her feel attractive. Originally she thought the dress was too blah but once she added a bright purple shawl to her outfit, she felt much better about it.

She had one of her girlfriends who worked at a hair salon come over and do her hair in a pretty bun. After accessorizing with a lavender flower in the bun, she thought she looked rather hot. Maybe not Derek Morgan hot, but certainly good enough to go on a date with him.

She glanced at her watch and saw it was ten to seven. Butterflies overwhelmed her stomach and she went to find a glass of water to calm her nerves. She didn't understand why she was so nervous. They had gone out with each other a million and a half times before. But never as an actual date, she reminded herself.

There was a quick knock on her door and she almost jumped out of her skin. Calm down, Garcie, she told herself. It's just a date. She took a deep breath and walked to the door. She peaked through her peep hole and saw Derek standing there looking as gorgeous as ever. The minute she saw him, her nerves calmed. This was Derek, her best friend; there was nothing to be worried about. As soon as she opened the door, a huge smile spread across his face. "You have a key, Derek," she said with a smile.

He walked through the door and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "It's a date, P. I wasn't going to just waltz in."

He smelled different. There was his usual rustic maleness, but there was a hint of something else. She couldn't put her finger on it. It was a floral smell. "New cologne?"

"No, no cologne."

She noticed that he had his hands held behind his back and raised her eyebrows, "What have you got there?" Derek smiled and pulled his hands in front of him. Penelope laughed, "Flowers and chocolate? You know I only needed one."

His eyes raked over her body and Penelope instantly recognized a certain hunger in his eyes. Maybe all those times she had thought she had seen similar looks before had been real. "Damn, baby girl, you look good," Derek said with a smirk.

Penelope blushed and smiled. "You look pretty good yourself." She took the flowers and the candy from him and walked into her kitchen. "Do you want something to drink?" She found a vase and filled it with water for her new flowers as Derek followed her.

"Sure," he said, "Our reservation isn't until 8 so we have some time."

She poured them each a glass of wine and handed one to him. "How did you even manage to get a reservation on such short notice?"

"I know a guy," he said with a shrug and a smirk.

"You know a guy?" she asked with a laugh. "How mysterious and bad boy of you."

"What can I say? I lead a dangerous life."

"I know you do. Do you know how many times I have nearly had a heart attack because you were chasing some murderer or driving a bomb through New York City?" she scolded. "I have to reapply my mascara at least once a case because of you."

A smile lit up Derek's face. "Momma, I didn't know you cared so much."

"Of course I do, Derek." She glanced down, suddenly nervous. Just ask him, she told herself. If she didn't, she knew that she would be thinking about it the entire date. She wasn't willing to waste the potentially one and only date with Derek thinking about the night before. "Um, about last night?"

He seemed to tense slightly. "What about it, momma?"

"It wasn't a mistake, was it?" she questioned nervously.

"Baby girl, would I be here, taking you out to dinner like this if it was?"

"Good," she said. He raised an eyebrow in question. She smiled mischievously and leaned closer to him, "Because I would very much like to do it again."

She leaned into him and kissed him softly. It didn't remain soft for long as Derek immediately began to ravish her mouth with his. She felt faint with pleasure as the twirling of his tongue sent lines of fire to her brain. She couldn't believe this was happening. How many times had she dreamt of this? It was better than any daydream.

She felt Derek's hands suddenly on her hips and electricity ran through her. He pulled her closer and Penelope was acutely aware of every inch of their bodies that were touching. As Derek pulled back momentarily, he whispered, "You have no idea how long I have wanted this."

"Ditto," she whispered breathlessly before kissing him again. His hands moved to her face and were caressing her cheeks when his phone started ringing. "Ignore it," he said as he continued to kiss her.

As soon as his phone stopped ringing, hers started. Derek pulled away with a sigh, "That's not a good sign."

"It's Hotch's ringtone," Penelope said. She reached for her purse and dug her phone out of it. "Hotch, your timing couldn't be worse."

"We have a case."

She sighed, "I kinda figured this wasn't a social call."

"I need you at the office. We have a string of missing kids in Richmond."

She reached for a pen as he started to list off a list of things for her to look into. She quickly wrote them on her hand, "Okay. I will be on top of this in like an hour."

"Good. Oh, do you know where Morgan is? Could you try to get a hold of him?"

"Um…he's here. With me, sir." She always said sir when she was nervous.

"Have him meet me in the office as soon as possible. And tell him to answer his phone when I call."

"Yes, sir," she said as he hung up.

She glanced over at Derek, "How about a rain check for that date?"


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry about the lateness. I love your reviews and alerts and favorites! You make me feel so good and make me want to keep typing!

A week later Penelope was sitting in her office with Nancy, one of the other techies, devouring a delicious lunch of Chinese food. They had lunch roughly once or twice a month. That was really all of the time with her that Penelope could handle. She was a sweet girl but young, and slightly off kilter.

"You're kidding," Nancy said as she stuffed a bite of her food in her mouth.

Penelope shook her head with a sigh, "Nope."

"So they have been back for almost five days and nothing?" Nancy asked incredulously as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Well not nothing." Penelope put down her food unhappily. As much as she didn't want to discuss this with Nancy, she was one of the few friends Penelope had who knew about her long standing awkward crush on her best friend. Nancy had called her out on it after she came back from Alaska. It had actually been pretty nice having someone to talk to about it. At least most of the time.

"So there was something?"

"No, not something, just not nothing."

"P," Nancy said with a short laugh, "It's either something or nothing."

She frowned, "It's like it was before we kissed."

"But he hasn't said anything to you?"

"No, he has said a lot of things," Penelope said. Nancy looked at her hopefully causing Penelope to groan, "Just nothing about the kiss. Or our rain check."

"Men are such jerks," Nancy said angrily. Penelope suddenly remembered Nancy had recently been dumped by a cheating fiancé. As she realized that Nancy was going to blow the whole situation out of proportion she began to regret bringing it up to her at all.

"He's not a jerk," she said defensively. As Nancy gave her a disbelieving look, Penelope relented. "Okay so he's kinda being a jerk."

"P, he is being the worst of the worst. Everyone knows you have had a crush on him since forever, and he goes and pulls this? You don't need men like him in your life."

Nancy was blowing out of proportion just like Penelope had thought she would. She was actually surprised by how angry she was getting at Nancy for speaking badly about Derek. He wasn't a bad guy, she reasoned. He just was clueless about how to woo a real woman like herself. The women he usually dated threw themselves at him and he never had to work at it. Penelope noticed Nancy staring at her, waiting for her response. "He's not as bad as you are making him out to be," she said.

"Really? How many times has he paraded his women in front of you? There is no way he doesn't know how you feel and yet he does that. I have half a mind to mess with his file." Her eyes flashed, "You should do the same thing."

"What?" Penelope asked with a laugh. She shook her head incredulously, "Are you crazy? I'm not doing anything to Derek's file. I love you, Nance, I really do, but you are insane."

"No, parade a bunch of hot guys in front of him. It totally works, I'm telling you. It will drive him crazy until he has to do something," she said excitedly.

"Yes, because I have so many guys beating my door down." She shook her head, "Besides, I don't want to play games with him."

"I still say you need to make him squirm," Nancy said with a shrug.

Penelope was saved from answering her clearly insane confidant by the shrill ring of her phone. She gave her an apologetic look before answering with the push of a button. "Garcia."

"Hey, momma," Derek's silky smooth voice charmed her through the phone. Penelope felt butterflies jump in her stomach the minute she heard his voice. The butterflies were a recent occurrence; starting the second Derek had kissed her. Now every time she saw him or heard his voice, they bombarded her stomach.

Penelope turned to Nancy with a smile, "Speak of the devil. Hey, love bug." Nancy stuck her tongue out in disgust at the pet name.

"How is my favorite tech goddess?"

A smile involuntarily appeared on her face. "I'm peachy. What can I do for you, hot stuff?"

"I know its kinda last minute but you got plans for tonight?"

Nancy's eyes widened as Penelope answered, "I'm free tonight." Nancy shook her head and whispered, "Play hard to get."

"I was thinking a movie at my place."

"There's something I'd like to talk to you about so I would like that," she said. If he wasn't going to say anything about what happened between them, she would. She couldn't stand the awkwardness not knowing. They were best friends, she reasoned, there was no way they shouldn't be able to talk about what had transpired. She glanced at Nancy who was shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

"Um, yea," he said. There was something in his voice that made Penelope suddenly doubt herself. "I'll see you tonight."

"Bye, sugar."

As she hung up, Nancy cleared her throat. "So, that's not what I told you to do. You can't just be available any time he wants. And what do you mean you have to talk to him? You had better be telling him you're too good for him," she ranted. "I'm gunna fix this for you."

Penelope shook her head in frustration. "Nancy, I got this. I have to get back to work." She loved Nancy buy sometimes she was the absolute worst.

Derek was walking towards Penelope's office. Something she had said while they were on the phone made him worried. No one wanted to hear we need to talk. The only thing that ever came after that phrase was there's someone else or I'm pregnant. He wanted to get it straightened out now. He was lost in his thoughts when someone bumped into him. He turned to apologize when he recognized the small woman as a friend of Garcia's. "Nancy, right? Sorry about that."

"It's fine," she said frostily.

He didn't notice her tone. His thoughts were on an entirely different FBI technical analyst. "Have you seen Garcia today? Is she okay? She seemed weird on the phone."

Nancy's eyes flashed, "Yea, she's great." She smirked calculatingly, "Super excited for a huge date this weekend with her guy."

An instant flash of jealousy flooded through Derek. Date? Who the hell was she dating, he wondered irritably. "What guy?" he asked, deceptively calm. "She never said anything to me about a guy."

She flashed him an imply smile, "Jessie, this absolutely gorgeous man. She said he was the best looking guy she's ever been with. She called him her chocolate God."

Hearing that Penelope called someone else one of his pet names made him see red. It was one thing for her to date someone else. He realized he had no real claim on her, that she could date whoever she wanted since he had left their relationship up in the air for the week. He had just been waiting for the right time to bring it up. Because of that, he knew he couldn't be upset that she had a date. It didn't mean he wasn't upset because he was. He was mad as hell.

But the fact that she was calling another man one of her nicknames for him… Derek glanced at Nancy and saw the smile of satisfaction on her face. "Excuse me, Nancy. I have to go." He turned on his heels to go to the gym and beat his frustration out.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I thought I would treat you by posting earlier than I was going to. Thanks for your reviews!

She was running late. Getting pizza had taken longer than she expected and every nerve in her body was tingling with anticipation. She was going to ask him about their relationship tonight and while she was nervous, she absolutely could not wait to get everything out in the open.

She tapped her hand irritably on her fuzzy pink steering wheel cover. She just wanted to get there and get it over with, but traffic just wasn't cooperating with her. She sure as hell was not going to speed. After her parents were killed in a car accident, there was no way she was going to drive recklessly so Derek was just going to have to wait.

Ten minutes later she was walking into Derek's house. "Hey gorgeous," she said with a bright smile. She held up the pizza box, "I brought pizza." She set it on his table and busied herself with getting them both plates and napkins. Derek had a dinnerware set which Penelope thought was just insane. All of her dishes were an eclectic mix found in various stores throughout the area. It took her a moment to realize that Derek hadn't said a word since she walked in.

She turned around and saw him standing behind her leaning against his counter. Everything about him was radiating anger. "You're late," he said slowly.

Penelope's brow knitted in confusion, "Yea, I was getting pizza for us and traffic " The look on his face made her stop short. Derek's face was a study of barely held rage. She was shocked. She had never seen him this angry before. It made her nervous. She almost felt bad for the UnSubs who faced him. Had something happened that she should know about, she wondered to herself.

"You could have called," he accused.

Was he mad because he was worried about her? If so, he was going a wee bit overboard, she thought to herself. "I'm sorry." She paused and walked over to him, placing a calming hand on his arm, "Are you okay? You seem upset." Understatement of the year, she thought.

Derek ran his hands over his face and took a deep breath. When he looked at her he seemed to have calmed down slightly and he flashed her a smile, "I'm fine, baby girl."

Penelope shook her head. There was no way she was accepting that answer. She deserved a better answer than that. "Derek, you just yelled at me for being ten minutes late. What's up?"

"Nothing," Derek snapped.

Penelope suddenly felt like crying. Derek had never been this mad at her before. They rarely even fought. She held back her tears as she asked, "Do you want me to go? You are just all kinds of riled up right now."

It instantly became apparent that that had been the wrong thing to say as Derek shrugged her hand off of him and walked across the kitchen. "Do you want to go?" he said angrily. "Am I keeping you from something? Got a date lined up?"

"A date? What are you talking about?" Penelope was starting to get angry. She hadn't done a thing to him and he was going to accuse her of something she wasn't even doing? No, that was not happening.

"I just think its bullshit that you couldn't even tell me that you're dating someone," he yelled. "I wouldn't have kissed you if I'd known."

Penelope was tempted to dump a glass of water on his head. "What the hell are you talking about, Derek? I'm not dating anyone." Not even you, she thought angrily.

He ignored her and continued yelling. "I can't believe you'd play me like that after you knew how I felt about you."

She resisted the urge to throw something at his stubborn, clueless head. "After I knew how you felt?" she asked incredulously. "Derek, I have no idea how you feel about me. You kissed me twice and never mentioned it again. How the hell am I supposed to know what that means?"

"It doesn't matter how I feel since you're with someone else," he accused, his eyes flashing with emotion.

"Where are you getting this? I don't understand."

"Nancy was nice enough to tell me about Jessie today."

Everything suddenly made sense. Of course Nancy would have something to do with this mess. _I'll fix this for you, _was the last thing Nancy had said to her today. She should have expected something like this. Penelope started laughing uncontrollably. Only in her life would this happen. She noticed Derek was staring at her as if she had grown two heads and she groaned. This was not going to be fun to explain. "Baby boy, Nancy is crazy." She sighed and went on, "She has this insane idea that I should make you jealous."

That seemed to take the wind out of his sails. He frowned, "What? Why?"

Derek was a very private person and Penelope knew he wouldn't appreciate that she was talking about him to someone else. She bit her lip nervously, "Because. I was talking to her about us today and she thought it would make things better."

His frown deepened as his brow wrinkled in frustration, "Make what better? Everything was fine."

Penelope bit her tongue. How on earth was she going to explain it? She decided to just spill everything and hope Derek understood. "I know, its just….Well, you haven't said anything about what happened between us and I was starting to think you regretted it all and that made me upset and so I talked to Nancy who had this crazy idea to make you jealous like you have made me jealous for years and I told her no but she doesn't really listen well," Penelope said quickly. She took a deep breath and waited for Derek's response.

After what seemed like hours, Derek spoke quietly, "So, you aren't dating anyone?"

She shook her head vigorously, "No. I'm not."

His entire body language changed and Penelope knew he was no longer upset. Derek walked over to her and pulled her into an apologetic hug. "I feel like an ass," he said as he squeezed her.

She laughed softly into his shoulder, "Well, you probably should." As much as she wanted to stay mad at him, she knew it wasn't his fault. Nancy, on the other hand, certainly deserved a good clobbering.

She felt him shake his head above her, "It was just the thought of you with someone else after I made my intentions clear "

"Derek," she interrupted as she pulled away from him, "You never made anything clear. I still don't understand," she said sadly.

"Baby girl, I thought it was obvious."

"What?" She changed her mind; Derek deserved a good clobbering too. How on earth could he think anything was obvious was completely beyond her. He was entirely

She was cut off as Derek said, "That I love you."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thank you so much for reading my story! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Feel free to check out my next story called The Wedding Bet.

Penelope couldn't think. She couldn't speak. All she could do was stare up at Derek in awe and disbelief. Had he just said the words she had dreamed of hearing? "What?" she said softly.

"I love you," he repeated with a smile. He looked so earnest and sincere that there was no way Penelope could doubt exactly what he meant.

A huge smile sprang to her face. She couldn't believe this was really happening. Years of wishing and hoping and longing for this moment caused huge salty tears to roll down her cheeks. "Oh, Derek," she said as she held him close, "I love you, too. I have for so long."

They stood there, holding each other, each glowing with happiness that long buried feelings were finally allowed to see sunlight. Penelope looked up and saw Derek staring at her, unmistakable love glowing in his eyes. He leaned down and pressed a soft, sensual kiss to her lips.

After a moment she pushed him away playfully. "Why didn't you say something earlier?"

Derek didn't speak for a moment as he wiped away her joyful tears with a doleful smile. "I did, after you were shot," he said finally.

"What?" She thought back to when she had been shot. She remembered that he had been there the whole time for her and it was when she had first realized how much she loved him. He'd been there for her and had barely left her side from the moment she first woke up.

"I told you how I felt after you were shot," he continued. "But then you met Lynch."

When he said it, his eyes flashed with an intense jealousy and his dislike for Kevin made sense. How many times had he turned away or snapped at her when she brought him up. How quick he had been to curse Kevin and defend her when she told him about their fights. She had always chalked it up to man problems.

She suddenly remembered that in her apartment when she came home from the hospital, had been the first time he had said he love her. She had just assumed he meant platonically. Penelope suddenly felt like a complete moron.

"I didn't realize," she said quietly. "Derek, are you telling me that you have loved me since I was shot?"

He chuckled. Penelope didn't think anyone sounded manly when they chuckled, but somehow, he did. "No, baby girl."

An unstoppable look of utter hurt and confusion crossed Penelope's face. "Oh," she said softly as she looked down, embarrassed by her rash assumption.

Derek's finger appeared under her chin and lifted her face. His teasing eyes sparkled as he said, "I knew that you were meant to be mine the first time I saw you. I just didn't think I had a chance."

As Penelope realized what Derek was saying, she felt an instant deep aching sadness. They had both longed after each other for years but neither had had the courage to admit it. All of those missed moments, all of the lost time. She couldn't even count how many times in the past six years she had known it would have been better with Derek, how many times with Kevin she had wished it was Derek. It just wasn't fair.

Her sadness shone fiercely on her face and Derek instantly picked up on it. "Baby girl, don't. What's wrong?"

She shook her head sadly, "It's just sad that there was all that time we could have been together and we both wanted to be but we just kept missing each other. It's like one of those terrible romances I read," she said with a melancholy chuckle. "I never realized I was actually living one."

"Penelope, baby, don't think about that. Focus on now."

She nodded as her stomach grumbled. Derek heard it and laughed, "Let's eat this pizza before it gets cold."

Several hours later, they were sitting outside on Derek's porch swing, simply enjoying each other's company. Penelope was leaning back against his chest, basking in his delicious musky, spicy man smell and the teasing caresses as his fingers ran up and down her arm.

"Baby girl, you asleep?" he whispered as he kissed the top of her head.

She shook her head, "No." She knew she wasn't going to sleep around Derek for a long time. They had wasted years and she wasn't wasting another second.

"I was wondering what you are going to do about your friend?" he said quietly.

Penelope groaned, "Nancy? Ugh, I don't know." As angry as she was at her for getting involved, it had all worked out for the best and her heart had been in the right place. In reality Penelope knew she was probably just going to scold her, and then share all the girly details. Well, maybe not all of them, she thought as a naughty smile played on her lips.

"I have a couple ideas about what to do about her," he said crossly.

She giggled, "Yea, I bet you do."

"We just won't invite her to the wedding," he joked.

Penelope rolled her eyes as she turned to face him, "Don't get ahead of yourself now. You still have to make it up to for keeping me in suspense all week."

A wickedly delicious smirk lit up Derek's face as he pulled her close, "I have a couple ideas about that, too."

"I bet you do."


End file.
